Time Capsule
by Epicurean
Summary: She never really thought this was how it would be. Sure, she hadn't actually known what to expect, but a part of her thought things would always remain as they had been. But as the years passed her by she could feel the pull of time and change. Nothing was right anymore. [One Shot]


**Time Capsule.**

* * *

Caroline Forbes never really thought this was how her life would turn out. Sure, she hadn't actually known what to expect, but a part of her thought things would always remain as they had been. A silly notion, considering he had an eternal life ahead of her. But she still couldn't find herself believing life could ever be different. Though as the years passed her by she could feel the pull of time and change. She looked around her and felt as if nothing was right anymore.

* * *

Things in Mystic Falls weren't the same. Everyone was finishing college now, joining the workforce, getting married. Caroline could feel the empty pit gnawing in her chest, but she did as she had always done and held her head high and did the best she could.

Tyler eventually left to "discover himself and the world". Caroline wanted to go with him so desperately, but a huge part of her knew she couldn't leave Mystic Falls. Not yet anyways. She could feel her time to be with her loved ones ending and she refused to give up any of those precious years seeing the world. The world wasn't going anywhere, it could wait for her. Her family couldn't.

Tyler understood but didn't feel the the baggage weighing him down. He was satisfied just exchanging letters and phone calls with his mother. Caroline was jealous of how he could just break free form his chains like that. To stand up and shake them off as he did and suddenly be free, while she was still tangled in this web. He had kissed her cheek and promised he would see her again. She gave a feeble smiled and watched him go. She knew she wouldn't see him for a long time to come.

Even though they were technically separated, Caroline never moved on. She just didn't see the appeal of normal men anymore, and honestly, she just wanted to be alone.

* * *

Caroline quickly discovered the life of a vampire is one spent in the shadows, and not just literally. After a decade Stefan revealed to Caroline and Elena that they had to leave. People were growing older now while they remained the same. They were already almost thirty but still appeared as though they were teens. Suspicions would arise. It wasn't safe anymore. But they would only leave for a little while - he had comforted to the unsettled women - until no one would be around that still recognized their faces.

_"How is that a 'little while'?" _Caroline scoffed, "_You're telling me to wait until everyone I know is dead before I can return!"_

_"A little longer than that," _Stefan admitted. "_It's best to wait at least two generations before returning to an area."_

Before Caroline could throw another fit Stefan held her shoulders reassuringly and told her that she could still see his friends and family, she'd just have to be sneaky about it. Make sure no one recognizes her and stay out of public places or have them come out to see her. Caroline hated it but knew he was right, so she begrudgingly agreed and two weeks later "left for a job in New York". A month after Elena and Stefan "moved somewhere in the suburbs so they could start a family". Damon had left long before that "because they road called". They all had a planned location to meet in Georgia. A new home for the time being. Elena and Caroline were too depressed from leaving their old lives to allow Stefan and Damon to separate them, and obviously the Salvatores couldn't leave Elena alone.

Caroline tried calling Tyler a little while after and discovered, to her dismay, his cell was cancelled. She shrugged it off. _I have an eternity to find him. I don't need to worry about it right now, _she comforted herself. So she smiled and found an editorial job for a magazine, using forged documents and just a dash of compelling to begin her life anew. She told people she was twenty-two, just old enough to have finished her four years of college and be in the work force, but young enough that she would have a good ten years before she needed to stress about her appearance again.

Every two weeks she would meet up with Liz. Bonnie and Jeremy visited all the time. It was nice and for a time things felt the same. Things _were_ the same, just a different location. Damon was a witty sexual drunk, Stefan was his understanding dependable self, Jeremy was angsty, Bonnie was too mature for her own good, and Elena was unsure of herself. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad.

Then she blinked and ten more years had passed. It's amazing how time flies when one is trapped in a time capsule for a body.

And so they packed up there things and moved once more.

* * *

When Bonnie got her first gray hair Caroline and Elena cried. Damon rolled his eyes at them. _Women, _he muttered under his breath. Stefan shot at him to leave them alone. "_They haven't adjusted yet."_

_"Well they're gonna have to get used to it," _Damon asserted, "_Bonnie won't be around forever." _His eyes darkened as he looked at Elena, voice deadpan. Caroline could feel Elena shake with rage beneath her embrace.

It was the next day that a sniveling Elena managed to convince Bonnie to use a spell to slow the aging process. "_Not forever, just for a while,"_ Elena begged, giving her friend that classic Elena look that no one could ever refuse. Damon said it was a stupid idea. Elena told him to shove it. Bonnie wasn't amused, but the closest thing she had to family was this coven of vampires, so she reluctantly agreed. Caroline said nothing, but in the deepest recesses of her heart she was soaring with happiness.

Matt had married and children by now. Caroline visited under the guise of Matt's cousin, but she could tell he didn't like lying to his wife. She never brought it up. _Allow me this one selfish act, _she prayed.

Liz grew older day by day. Tiresome. Weary. It seemed out of the blue when Caroline got a call from her mother informing her she retired from the police force. She should have been expecting it, but a part of her would never see her mother as anything but Sheriff Forbes.

She tried to visit more frequently now because the smell was filling her old home, the scent of death. One day under the influence of a meltdown Caroline begged her mother to drink her blood and become a vampire. Liz refused, of course, and Caroline later apologized for pushing it. _I just can't lose you,_ she sniffled, and her mother hugged and and told her "_It's a part of the natural order for a parent to die before a child. You'll be fine Caroline. You're strong and brave. I wish I could have taken credit for raising you to be this way."_

Caroline smiled into her mother's shoulder. "_But you did."_

On a Tuesday afternoon after brewing some Ginseng and making a hot bowl of soup, Caroline wandered down the hallway to her mother to give her an early supper, as tradition. Her mother had been going to bed earlier and earlier each day. But today something was off, it was so quiet. The scent was strong again that day. And as she reached the threshold of the room and looked inside, her breath caught. There was her mother, sleeping soundly, stoic, peacefully in her bed. Hair disheveled and weathered; white. Her wrinkles carving paths through her lovely face. But there was silence. And as Caroline's tray dropped and a cry broke out from her lungs she knew that now she was finally alone.

Elena cradled Caroline and promised her she wouldn't be alone. She still had her and Stefan and Bonnie and Matt and Jeremy. Even Damon. Bonnie stroked her arm soothingly.

Caroline knew better though. She didn't have Bonnie or Matt or Jeremy. Not anymore. She peered over at her old friend, middle-aged but still radiating with her confidence and beauty. Caroline choked and she leapt forward and embraced her. But all the hugs in the world couldn't stop the inevitable.

* * *

It had been a century now, and Bonnie had finally passed. Thanks to magic she was able to live two lifetimes, but after meeting a man and falling in love she stopped using the spell. She never really wanted to live forever. She only stayed around for her dear friends.

Matt had passed long ago, but Caroline continued to watch over his family. She never confronted them though, out of fear they would recognize her. Matt never wanted his family to be caught up in the supernatural.

When Jeremy had died, Elena when through a period of almost-Ripper moments. Damon, Stefan, and Caroline were always there to stop her or bail her out. It was exhausting to always worry about what Elena was up to, but it gave them something to do. Jeremy had died without having any children, so Elena had no family left. She finally understood Caroline now, and it brought them closer.

* * *

They were finally able to return to the Boarding House. It was dusty and weather-beaten but it hadn't changed, unlike so many other things. Elena insisted Caroline continue to stay with them and Caroline did not refuse. Where else could she go? Besides, the house was nostalgic for her. It was the closest thing she had left to home, and she loved it as much as she loved her companions. She finally understood why the brothers kept coming back to it.

But time spent at the Salvatore mansion was bittersweet. She could feel the tension between the three lovebirds, all still pining for one another after all these years. The matter of "choosing" didn't seem to concern them anymore. They just wanted to _be _together.

Caroline was the fourth wheel all over again. She swallowed.

One day she woke up to the sound of birds chirping, the same noise that woke her countless times before. She looked at the little yellow finch perched outside her window and all she wanted to do was rip its head off. It all seemed so _meaningless_. What was the point of an eternal life, anyways? What was she to do with it?

Her chest tightened again and she grabbed it helplessly. There was that pain again.

Stefan approached her that afternoon. "_You seem quiet lately. Not your usually chipper self. You okay?"_

Caroline smiled. "_I'm fine Stefan. Thank you." _And suddenly she was encircled by his warm arms, eyes widened by his sudden affectionate gesture. She made a noise in surprise - it wasn't every day when someone other than Elena was given the honor of a Salvatore hug. When he released her she gave him a quizzical look. "_What was that for?"_

Stefan smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "_I'm going hunting. You want to come?"_

_"No thanks. I'm not hungry."_

Stefan gave her a look and then left. That boy was weird, she told herself.

The next day Damon strolled by seemingly casually, glass of scotch in his hand as usual. He stood by the window, acting as though he was admiring the scenery, but kept glancing back at her. She tried to ignore it and focus on her book (she had taken up reading to help pass the time of her eternal life), but he was driving her absolutely mad. She rolled her eyes. "_Is there something you need, Mr. Salvatore?" _She asked with dry sarcasm. She really didn't feel like having a conversation with Damon.

He shrugged and approached, waving a half-empty bottle of scotch in her face. "_Want some?"_

_"No thanks."_

_"More for me then." _He took another mouthful and grimaced and Caroline returned back to her book. But after a while he still hadn't left, and she did her best to ignore him, but she had re-read the same sentence almost ten times. It was really starting to bother her, his flickering looks. Damon was weird sometimes - scratch that, all the time.

_"You know you're not the worst company in the world to spend an eternity with."_

Caroline almost thought she was dreaming. Her eyes slowly peeled off her book and ran up the elder Salvatore brother, expression incredulous. "_Thanks," _she laughed, "_you're not so bad yourself."_

_"Seriously Barbie." _Damon insisted, tone deliberate now but never losing it's humorous undertone. But his face is what got her. It seemed almost sincere.

She sighed and closed her book, placing it on the coffee table. "_Did Stefan ask you to say that?"_

_"My brother may or may not have said many things," _Damon shrugged, responding ambiguously as usual. "_But it doesn't change the fact it's true. You're alright Blondie."_

Caroline gave an uneasy smile. "_I think I'll take that drink now."_ Damon grinned and passed her the scotch. She drank straight from the bottle.

Damon Salvatore having a heart-to-heart with her. Things definitely weren't the same anymore. _"You wanna go drain some broads?"_

Caroline shot him a disapproving look. _"As incredibly appealing as that sounds, I'll have to decline. I'm really not hungry."_

_"You're loss."_

* * *

Caroline visited her mother's grave to wash it, something she did once a month. As she bent down to leave a single rose on the soil she saw it. A creamy index card, hand-inscribed with a crimson wax seal. She picked it up and look at the words on the front. _Caroline. _For the first time in centuries her heart shuddered. Her head shot up and she looked around herself desperately. The note couldn't have been left that long ago. Sometime between the last time she visited the grave and now.

The cemetery was swirling around her. _Where?_

But all that greeted her was silence. She looked back to the note card and broke the seal.

* * *

Caroline got off her international flight in Paris. It wasn't her first time overseas, she had gone a few times with Elena and the Salvatores, but it was her first time alone in a long time. She thought maybe she would run into Tyler. That only made her laugh to herself, because the world was enormous and Tyler hadn't talked to her in years.

She left a note for her friends so they wouldn't worry. _"I'm leaving for a little while. I'll be back, I just need to sort some things out. xx Caroline"_

She followed the address written on her tiny cream note, the sound of her heart thudding in her ears. She hadn't eaten in weeks; at first because of depression, but now because she was so excited her stomach twisted and churned in knots and she didn't believe she could hold down a single drop of blood. Now her poor diet choices were starting to daunt on her. She could feel her legs tremble and her knees buckle. Maybe it was because she was excited, she told herself hopefully. Her breath got heavier and she could see the puffs of oxygen condense in the cool air around her.

She arrived at a large suite. It was subtly hidden among the other large buildings around it, but it was magnificent. She tripped up the granite steps and a doorman caught her. He asked her if she was alright. _"You look ill. Do you need to sit for a moment? Can I get you anything... some water?"_ She shook her head and brushed him off.

_"I need to get here," _she informed him, showing the note card. He took it from her and read.

_"That's the condo."_ He directed her to the elevator. _"Are you sure you're alright?" _he asked once more as the doors began to close.

She gave a sweet smile and they pinged closed.

Caroline watched the floors numbers glow as the elevator ascended with an intensity, as if the elevator would move faster if she willed it. She tapped her foot. Why did she decide to take the elevator? With her vampire speed, she would be upstairs already. But her stomach tightened and she knew she would never make it.

The door pinged open and suddenly she was in a grand hall. At the end was a small ballroom. She took a step forward and then paused, cocking her head to the left. She could hear the brushstrokes and the foots padding and smell the oil paint thickening. She used to hate that smell, but suddenly it was comforting. She walked as fast as she could, which given her current state was more of a crawl. He surely heard the elevator doors open and her heavy breathing, the sound of her boots tapping across the tile floor. Why hadn't he come out to greet her?

She smiled to herself. Of course, he wanted her to make it all the way by herself. Just like he said she would that night at the dance.

_Perhaps one day, in a year or even a century, you'll turn up at my door and let me show you what the world has to offer._

Her ears led her down a hall and to an open room. It was cluttered with canvases and aisles and brushes scattered about. Her eyes danced around the room, taking in everything, and then stopped on his back. His broad shoulders stretched as they spread more paint across his already plastered canvas. Her chest pinched in on itself. It felt like pins were digging their way into her heart. After all these years he was still the same.

"So you got my note, I see," his voice rumbled. It was the same cheeky yet gravelly tone it had always been. "I wasn't sure if you'd come."

"I didn't have anything better to do," Caroline breathed, trying to be her usually spirited self even in her weakened state.

Klaus cocked his head slightly. "When's the last time you fed?"

"A month, maybe. I don't really remember." Caroline leaned back against the wall.

"Sometimes it's easy to forget to eat when the years fly by," Klaus noted. He swirled his brush in the glass of water on his podium, tapping it twice and resting it on the rim. He finally turned around, and Caroline could feel her breath get caught in her throat. He was clean-shaven, hair trimmed short, like the first time he came to rain terror down on Mystic Falls. For some reason it was even more nostalgic than if he had had stubble. He looked younger this way, more innocent.

"You look terrible, love," he noted as he rolled up his sleeve. "Ravishing, but terrible."

He caught her just as she slid further down the wall. She fell against his chest, his warmth bringing her back to that night when he cradled her and fed her his blood.

_And I could let you die, if that's what you want. If you really believe your existence has no meaning._

And just like then, he placed his wrist against her lips. "Go on, have at it."

She bit in weakly and sucked, the warm blood pouring into her mouth. She could feel herself rejuvenating. She looked up and him and he gave his classic smug grin, one that used to make her bubble with rage. But not anymore. She released his wrist, reaching up to pull his head down to her, and bit into his neck. He tensed but didn't stop her. No, instead he pushed her against the wall and cradled her as the blood dripped down his neck and pooled at his collarbone, before continuing down and soaking in his shirt.

Her eyes turned red and the veins began to protrude under them, hands winding up his nape and nails digging in his flesh slightly. His blood was more succulent than she remembered, perhaps because she was starving, or maybe she had just forgotten his taste. But the creature inside her wanted it's fill. He groaned beneath her.

"Now, now, love, don't bleed me dry," Klaus said after a few minutes, pushing her away gently. His thumb traced delicately over her vampire veins as they disappeared. "There we are." He smiled. "That's my girl."

Her hand traveled shyly from it's place on his neck to his cheek, and she could feel his face falling towards her touch. "I ruined your shirt," she stated dumbly, mentally cursing herself for not have better conversation starters. It had been years. If she thought she didn't know Klaus before, she was completely in the dark now. Who was this man who gazed at her so profoundly?

"I have plenty."

* * *

She woke up the next morning in a bed she didn't recognize. But for the first time in what felt like forever, it was home. His musk enveloped her. She thought back to last night, he had tucked her in like a child and held her until she fell asleep. She could feel him run his fingers along her arm and cheek throughout the night, even when she was asleep. It was soothing. A noise from the kitchen brought her back and in a flash she was standing by his side.

"Blood?" He asked as he held up a glass.

She accepted it and drank, noting that it was human and deciding to not ask where he got it from. "Have you been here this whole time?" she asked as she finished the last drops.

He was leaning against the counter, arms crossed and expression whimsical. "Sometimes. I have many homes in many countries. I spend a little time in each. It's easy to get bored."

"What are you doing now that you can't make hybrids?"

His expression darkened but his smile never ceased. "I don't think you want to know."

Caroline nodded in agreement. His voice wrung with playfulness but she could still feel a shiver run up her spine.

The blonde looked around her. The place was relatively empty. There was a single white couch and widescreen TV in the living room and a bed in the bedroom, but no other furniture. The only cluttered space was his studio.

"Where are your siblings?"

"Germany, last I heard." Klaus shrugged.

"And you aren't with them because..."

"I had to make myself available. I figured a little stray would be wandering around sometime soon, and they'd just get in the way." His eyes glinted as they lingered on her.

Caroline eyed him. "How'd you know?"

"The last of your human life just passed away."

"That was a year ago. You just hung out here for whole year waiting for me to show up?"

"I told you before, you need to adjust your perception of time. A year is nothing when you've lived a thousand."

"Then why did you leave me the note?"

Klaus chuckled in admittance and turned to his side, fully facing the young vampire. "I did get worried after a time. I figured it was enough to get you going." His fingers played with her hair, twisting and twirling it. "A little _push _in the right direction." His voice was heavy. "Gentle prodding." His eyes had turned a shade deeper, radiating an intensity that made Caroline suddenly feel weighted to the ground. "It's been a long time waiting for you." He expression was serious, eyes more sharp now. "I should be rewarded, don't you think?"

Caroline swallowed and looked down. Then in a surprising gesture she leaned forward and kissed him gently on the cheek. He almost flinched as her lips brushed lightly against his skin, eyes wide as if no one had ever kissed him on he cheek before. He stood frozen as she pulled back and gave a shy smile. He simpered. "That's it?"

It was Caroline's turn to shrug. Klaus chuckled before he leaned down to kiss Caroline on the corner of her mouth. She gave him a quizzical look, and he explained "I deserved more than that, didn't I?" and gave a flirtatious wink.

Her heart was pounding in her ears and her face felt like it was on fire. She never thought he would kiss her so sweetly before, she never thought him _capable _of it. Maybe the years had changed him. His face lingered there for a moment longer and she could feel his breath beating against her skin. Her eyes fluttered upward, locking with his own. He was giving her that look again, the one he used to give her. As if she had his full attention, like she was the only person in the world. She bit her lip anxiously, wondering why she was still acting like a shy schoolgirl after all these years. She was over a hundred now for crying out loud. But being with him made her revert back to the way she used to be. Young and alive.

She pressed her lips against his own, letting her hands slide up his face and into his hair. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed against her, pushing her against the counter. "Why me?" Caroline broke their kiss and gave him a look of confusion.

"I told you before. I enjoy you."

"So you wait over a century because you enjoy me?" It made no sense. There had to be more.

"I don't enjoy many things, Miss Forbes." His gaze was penetrating.

She felt that pain again, deep in her chest. Like there was a hole there that desperately needed to be filled. But being in such close proximity to _him -_ hearing his voice and smelling his skin and feeling his heat - only made it hurt worse. She pulled him close and rested her head on his chest, tears filling in her eyes. Part of her thought maybe it wasn't a good idea. He was attracted to her light and fiery spirit; to show weakness would dampen his rose-colored version of her. But she was tired of pretending to be okay. A hand crept up her back and rubbed it in comforting circular motions. She breathed in sharply and burrowed her head deeper into chest, hands holding on to his arms that wrapped around her. If she called Elena right now and told her of his sweetness she wouldn't believe her. No one would.

This was a Klaus only she knew. Sweet, charming, protective, caring. He waited so long for her. Always in the shadows ready to accept her with open arms. He didn't push her. He didn't force it. He just let her come to him.

"Can I stay with you?" She asked, voiced muffled against his chest.

"I was hoping you'd ask."

He picked her up and placed her on the counter, spreading her legs apart and running his hands down her thighs. She shivered beneath his touch and he gave her a devilish grin. Then he pulled his shirt off and tossed it to the ground. Caroline felt a lump in her throat as she ran her hands down his chest. He grabbed them and gave her a look.

"Your turn, love," he said as he pulled her shirt off and dropped it next to his. He gazed at her, expression all-consuming as he ran his fingers down her stomach, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake, stopping at her belly button. Caroline leaned forward to leave a light kiss on his neck, and she could feel the vibrations of a growl echo down his throat. So she kissed him again, this time on his jaw. Then cheek. Then temple. She could hear his sigh as his head rested against her collarbone, nuzzling closer to her. Caroline slowly crept her arms around his shoulders and let her fingers paint circle on his shoulder blades. She felt a kiss on the nook of her neck and wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer to her, feeling as his curves fit perfectly against her own. Her breath hitched as he lifted her effortlessly off the counter, blue eyes falling on her own as they bored into hers. In a flash they were back in his room and he was falling on top of her, trapping her beneath them and they landed on the bed.

Her hair fell around face like a golden halo, his fingers running through them and stopping at her throat. He sat up to look at her, smiling to himself all the while.

"Magnificent."

Her chest was pressing in on itself again, but now she could feel the thudding of her heart. Klaus planted soft kisses down her chest and she felt a burning where his lips brushed her skin. She had found it again. A meaning for her existence.

**End.**

* * *

**_A/N:_ **So this was supposed to be a short drabble and I let it get out of control. I just had a lot of Klaroline feelings and needed to get them out. So just think of this as a 4,900+ word ramble.


End file.
